by Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports

While speaking at the NFL scouting combine last week, Carolina Panthers GM Dave Gettleman seemed to be mulling the prospect that left tackle Jordan Gross might retire with dread.

Gettleman's fears were realized Tuesday with the announcement that one of the two holdovers from the Panthers' 2003 Super Bowl team (wideout Steve Smith is the other) was calling it a career after 11 seasons.

Gross' departure creates an immediate and gaping void. According to ProFootballFocus.com, he was rated the NFL's third-best tackle in 2013, a season that earned Gross a third Pro Bowl nod. On the field, he was responsible for protecting quarterback Cam Newton's blind side and served as a steady veteran presence off of it.

It won't be easy to replace in the lineup, much less the locker room.

The Panthers were already tight against the salary cap and face the possibility of losing Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy and most of their secondary to free agency. They're also weighing tough decisions on the futures of several high-priced veterans who remain under contract, including Smith's.

Winning the NFC South was a great hurdle for Carolina to clear last season, but it also dropped them to 28th in the first round. Gettleman would probably have to get creative on draft night if he wants to obtain one of the elite tackle prospects (Texas A&M's Jake Matthews, Auburn's Greg Robinson, Michigan's Taylor Lewan and Notre Dame's Zack Martin) since none is likely to fall into his lap.

"You're always going to have holes that you're going to plug," said Gettleman on Thursday. "That's just the way it is. You can't avoid it.

"Things happen. If you're drafting well and developing well - that's one thing I think (coach) Ron (Rivera) and his staff do a great job of."

Potential in-house replacements include Nate Chandler and Travis Bond. Given his desire to re-sign Hardy and others, Gettleman probably can't afford to make a run at tier-one free agents such as Eugene Monroe and Branden Albert.

Bottom line: expect the Panthers to target a mid-tier free agent such as Rodger Saffold and/or find a developmental prospect somewhere in the draft who can eventually take over. Don't forget, Gettleman comes from a New York Giants program that won two Super Bowls by deploying recently retired left tackle David Diehl, who broke into the league as a fifth-round guard in 2003.